Thirsty Thursday: Strawbeery Vodka Melonade

That’s right, beer AND vodka in one drink. We’re not messing around this Thursday. I’m working allll weekend so no time to mess around with boring ol’ one-spirit beverages!

The inspiration for this drink came from a bottle of Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager that I randomly picked up in a “build your own 6-pack” at Steve’s Liquor last week.

We didn’t manage to finish up that watermelon we bought on Sunday, so I decided to start ballin’. Melon balling, that is.

Since I’ll bascially buy anything that says Santa Cruz on it because that’s where The Lost Boys (aka, best movie ever) was filmed, lemonade got thrown into the mix too.

And because every one knows that vodka and lemonade are besties, well, that’s why I decided to throw vodka into this concoction as well…

You’ll have to do a little night before prep work for this drink, but I guarantee it will be worth it. I was working with about a half a watermelon, but whatever you have will work just fine.

First, I used my melon baller to scoop out about 25-30 balls that I placed in a Ziploc bag & put in the freezer for our “melon ball ice cubes”.

**Side note: these frozen melon balls are great to have on hand all summer to add a little refreshing sweetness to boring old water.**

Next, I scooped out about 20 more balls & placed them in a pitcher. Along with that, the juice that sort of pools in the melon while you’re scooping. To that, I added about 1 cup of vodka. I had citrus vodka on hand so that’s what I used, but regular works just fine too.

I let my melon balls & juice sit overnight with the vodka.

Today I strained the juice into a container, like so.

If you’re feeling brave, bite into one of those melon balls. Just keep in mind that they’ve been soaking in vodka for hours.

And now, we build zee cocktail!

Let’s start with the melon ball ice cubes. I used a few regular little icies too.

Next up, the watermelon vodka. I used 2 oz. for this glass.

Beer comes next!

4 oz. or double the amount of vodka you added.

And then we top if off with lemonade!

Give it a stir and take a sip…

Mmmm…

Ice cold…

Refreshing…

Perfectly summer…

Speaking of summer, you may have picked up on the fact that I’m often at my parents’ house on Thursdays. That’s because of Local Night. Every Thursday, people from the community where my parents live gather together on the gorgeous outdoor patio of The Shed for local food, local beer & local entertainment. Last night’s event was a particularly great one as it was a fundraiser for a group of people traveling to Joplin, MO to help rebuild a home that was demolished in the tornadoes last year. I wish I could put into words the awesomeness that is Local Night but I regret that I cannot do so. It brings together the entire community and is a truly awesome event each week. To say that the crowd was enjoying the music last night would be an understatement. People were singing along, dancing & having a great time. I don’t make it to every Local Night, but I certainly try & always have a fantastic time.

Do you have any summer rituals? An event you attend often during the summer, perhaps? Local Night is a favorite of mine & I’m forunate to make it to a few each month of the summer. I also love going to plays Up the Hill at APT. Both Local Night & APT are in my hometown of Spring Green, which has some of the most breathtaking scenic river valley views. Of course there’s plenty to do here in Madison too. I love the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings, Mallards games, Concerts on the Square and quite simply, just spending time in the fabulous summer weather we get around here, that totally makes up for the yucky winters.

I’ve got a work-filled weekend ahead of me, with a tiny bit of fun mixed in, so I’ll have to catch up with ya on Monday. Have a faaaaantastic weekend, friends!!